Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Monday, July 22, 2013

In the great outdoors...rumbles of thunder, freshly mown grass, and lots and lots of mosquitoes.

Within our four walls...all five family members back together after a weekend apart. We love our chances to be kid-free now and then, but it’s just strange to have them gone!

A heart of thanksgiving...for rain on Thursday and the glimpse of some answered prayer in other areas.

A heart of prayer...continuing to pray for wisdom about a good personal working schedule. Finishing up the school prep this week in hopes of getting off to a strong start to the new year next Monday.

Random observations...cloud cover makes a big difference inside the house. I keep bumping the A/C up every time it kicks on because I think, “We don’t need that running right now!”

My silly children...keep coming in to sharpen pencils. Wonder what they’re up to.

Thoughts from the kitchen...a realization. It’s so much easier to teach someone else a new skill when it’s an activity we enjoy in the first place. Doug absolutely loves to cook, so he goes into the kitchen with an excitement which automatically breeds patience. Cooking is a necessary activity to me, but not one I enjoy. So, I go into the kitchen with an “accomplish this necessary task” attitude. That reduces my patience from the get-go.

Consequently, guess who is better at teaching our children to cook? I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count. (Hint: NOT ME!)

Doug told me earlier in the morning that he would come home and cook lunch today. Around noon, he walked in and asked for a helper. Olivia responded immediately. I was busy across the bar filling ink cartridges, and I had a great time watching Doug patiently teach Olivia, who then proceeded to contribute heavily to our lunch.

Just a reminder that we are a team in this training up children thing. Can I just share how much of a relief it is to not be in this alone?

On my bookshelf...a YA fiction series that teaches creationism versus evolution through a mystery. The kids have read all three books that we were sent, so now it’s my turn to read so I can write the reviews.

Projects...birthday and Christmas gifts.

Sounds of the moment...the wind. It just picked up. And more thunder. Wonder if we’ll get any rain.

From Hibbard Academy...final preparations! This morning I gave the kids an overview of the new year and talked to them about things like their Bible time and schedule preferences. Per their request, we won’t be making many changes in our school schedule. That’s a first for us! This schedule has lasted longer than any we’ve ever followed! Knowing they’re good with it definitely helps me contemplate my personal schedule with a little more solidarity. We usually spend a month or so working out the kinks of any new schedule.

A favorite thing from last week...besides that kid-free time and a wonderful, relaxing weekend with my hubby, including an actual “go out” date night (with mouth-watering steak and salmon, I might add)? Probably getting the chance to meet a fellow Home Educating Family blogger face to face!

The planner...working on the school planning; a swim/homeschool chat date with some friends in Stuttgart on Thursday; the Choates’ arrival sometime on Friday for one last quick “hug-your-neck” visit. So excited to get to celebrate their upcoming return to the SI with them!

Because visuals are fun...our other two cats are typically unceremoniously hauled to the laundry room when it’s time to put them out for the night. Smokey, however, is usually coddled a good bit and frequently gets carried out on a pillow like a queen!